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Why do humans fear things they don’t understand or cannot see?

How does fear affect our society?

How can facing our fears improve our lives both personally and socially?

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A little boy fears the dark, but after spending some time with it, realizes that it's not so scary, after all.

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This book explains the social concerns that likely inspired Mary Shelley to write Frankenstein, and gives some insight into the real-world basis for monster stories.

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A young person begins writing notes to the cryptid Mothman during a time of enormous grief, an experience that aids them in exploring identity, difference, and what it means to be a monster.

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A charming stranger presides over a town based on the promise that he will keep them safe from the outside world, but villagers slowly discover that the real danger may come from within.

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A town engages in a morbid annual ritual of baby sacrifice in order to protect the inhabitants from a witch who dwells in the forest. The witch is mystified as to why villagers leave a baby in the forest to die each year. A brave individual goes on a quest that reveals the true nature of the danger.

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Swimming is a popular metaphor for facing one's fears. In this tale, a small child fears the ocean, but through gentle exposure, finally takes the leap.

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What happens after we die? Another significant source of human fear, this nonfiction book explores what we know and believe about various undead creatures.

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Ghost stories inspire, and are inspired by, fear. This genre contains countless examples of fear of the unknown, including this nonfiction book describing Mexico's tale of the weeping woman.

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Monster tales are illustrative of any number of human fears and prejudices. This book describes the origins of some well-known creatures in fairytales and fantasy stories.

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Another capsule for human fears are found in urban legends. This book explores urban legends from around the world, including Mothman, and Japan's Hanako-san.

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This collection of urban legends includes organ harvesting and visitors from beyond the grave.

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A little boy navigates life's scary moments wearing his trusty parachute. As his feelings of safety increase, he is ready to face the world without his safety net.

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Unlikely friendship stories often grapple with the idea that we may fear things we don't understand. In this whimsically illustrated book, two solitary beings make overtures of friendship to one another, in a tale that explores the value of personal connection.

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A series of sweet stories in verse, this book explores some common sources of human fear including things that go bump in the night, unfamiliar situations, and doctor's offices.

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In this things that go bump in the night story, a child tucked into bed on a cozy winter night quickly becomes overcome with fear as street noises feel to them as though monsters prowl the street beneath. The book concludes with an examination of emergency vehicles and other real (not scary) sources of street noise.

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A fearful child is especially afraid of the dark. After numerous failed attempts to deal with this fear, Orion comes face to face with the dark, who helps demystify the sounds and experiences of nighttime.

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The Salem Witch Trials is an excellent historical example of how fear can inspire seemingly inexplicable behavior in humans. Scholars continue to debate the true causes of this event, but this book provides accessible explanations in graphic novel format.

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Another nonfiction treatment of the causes and effects of the Salem Witch Trials, this book seeks to explain in child-friendly language the ways in which fear can take hold of a community.

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A disturbingly prescient tale of misinformation and mass hysteria, the events surrounding the 1938 War of the Worlds broadcast explores how hysteria can take hold of large groups of people, motivating them to behave irrationally.

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This uniquely illustrated picture books shows that good things can happen when we face our fears and let in the outside world.

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This Newbery winner imagines life in a maroon community of former slaves, and explores the ways in which fear of the outside world can be manipulated to keep a community safe.

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No collection of titles about human fear would be complete without a book about the Red Scare in America. This book skillfully explains the confluence of events contributing to the fear of communism in the United States, and the ways in which powerful people can manipulate actual events to inspire mass hysteria in a population.

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This is a beautiful story of what can happen when young people turn to one another to grapple with the fears and difficulties they experience in life. A touching example of what we can become when we connect with others.

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This is a redemptive tale of Humpty Dumpty facing the fear that he is left with after taking a tumble, and reclaiming his reputation as a broken thing.

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Two popular sources of fear, moving to a new place and swimming, join forces against a young girl as she struggles to find her place in a new town.

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References

Balis, A. & Levy, E. (2024). Witch hunt: The Cold War, Joe McCarthy, and the Red Scare. Roaring Brook Press.

Barnhill, K. (2019). The girl who drank the moon. Algonquin Young Readers.

Barnhill, K. (2023). The ogress and the orphans. Algonquin Young Readers.

Christmas, J. (2022). Swim team. HarperAlley.

Clark, K. (2021). Three ways to be brave: A trio of stories. Rise x Penguin Workshop.

Damm, A. (2018). The visitor. Gecko Press.

Dawson, A.L. (2022). Freewater. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

Fulton, L. (2018). She made a monster: How Mary Shelley created Frankenstein. Alfred A. Knopf.

Gow, R. (2024). Dear Mothman. Harry N. Abrams.

Hoena, B. (2019). Creepy urban legends. Capstone Press.

Holub, J. (2015). What were the Salem Witch Trials? Penguin Workshop.

Jarrow, G. (2018). Spooked!: How a radio broadcast and The War of the Worlds sparked the 1938 invasion of America. Calkins Creek.

Joof, E. (2021). I will swim next time. Floris Books.

Joosse, B. (2024). Street monsters. Sleeping Bear Press.

Min, C. (2024). The shadow and the ghost. Levine Querido.

Noyes, D. (2024). An outbreak of witchcraft: A graphic novel of the Salem Witch Trials. Little, Brown Inc.

Parker, D. (2016). Parachute. Eerdmans Books for Young Readers.

Peterson, M.C. (2014). Haunting urban legends. Capstone Press.

Peterson, M.C. (2020). La Llorona: The legendary weeping woman of Mexico. Capstone Press.

Pipe, J. (2013). The undead. Gareth Stevens Publishing.

Santat, D. (2017). After the fall. Roaring Brook Press.

Sautter, A.J. (2018). Discover orcs, boggarts, and other nasty fantasy creatures. Capstone Press.

Snicket, L. (2013). The dark. Little, Brown and Company.

Woodson, J. (2018). Harbor me. Nancy Paulsen Books.

Yarlett, E. (2015). Orion and the dark. Templar.

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1)    Who’s Afraid of the Big, Bad Library Catalog?

In this activity geared towards upper elementary school, students will be asked to come up with as many search terms as they can based on the essential question “Why do humans fear things they don’t understand or cannot see?”. Next, the students will work in groups of three to search the library catalog using the terms they came up with. Students will perform the following searches: Title, Subject, and Keyword. Students will decide how to distribute the workload and will complete a worksheet to capture the results of their respective searches. Finally, students will compare the results and decide as a group which of the searches was most effective in returning relevant results.

2)    Where Do Monsters Come From?

In this activity geared towards middle or high school, students will research a monster of their choosing from the folklore of a country other than the United States. Students will also research basic facts about the culture from which the monster originates and complete a short writing prompt describing any connections they see between the monster and the concerns, circumstances, and values of the society from which it originates. This activity can be extended to allow students to present their findings in a format of their choosing from a poster to a graphic novel layout to a short video.